Cab window with access feature for external controls

Abstract: An agricultural tractor is provided comprising a base frame (2) and an operator's cab (6) , mounted on the base frame (2) , and including a wall having a passage (18) which is normally sealed with a removable window panel (12). The panel (12) basically has a rectangular shape, except for a triangular cut-out (14) in one of its corners. In one position of the panel (12), the cut-out (14) is blanked-of f whereas in another position the cut-out (14) is uncovered so as to form an aperture (32) for accommodating the passage of a control cable for the remote operation of external equipment through the cab wall.

Description: The present invention relates to wired remote control of equipment and/or implements carried by or towed behind a vehicle as defined in the preamble of claim 1 (see FR-A-2695899), and more particularly to an access feature for introducing a control cable into the operator's cab. The invention has been conceived in relation to an agricultural tractor but it is to be understood that the invention is applicable to any vehicle or even static arrangement having a cab or enclosure and requiring the use of remote control cables. In the following description right hand and left hand references are determined by standing at the rear of the tractor facing in a direction of forward travel. Also, in the following description, it is to be understood that terms such as "forward", "rearward", "upward", etc., are words of convenience and are not to be construed as limiting terms. Nowadays, external equipment carried by an agricultural tractor or agricultural implements, such as balers or pull-type forage harvesters, hitched by a tractor, commonly comprise components which have to be remotely controlled by means of a control box installed on the tractor's operator station. Especially with tractors provided with cabs enclosing the operator station, some difficulties are experienced to pass the control cable, leading from the control box to the remotely controlled implement or equipment, through the cab structure. In this connection, it is a common practice to provide the rear wall of the cab with an aperture, of small dimensions, such as shown in FR-A-2.415.035, to allow the control cable to enter the cab therethrough. When no control cables are employed, the aperture commonly is sealed with a removable panel member. However, in as much as control boxes normally are relatively large, it is impossible to pass them through the small aperture in the cab structure and therefore, each time a control box is installed or removed from the operator's station, the connecting cables have to be disconnected from the box, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming operation, if at all possible, since some types of control boxes are not fitted with a breakable form of connection. Of course, to overcome the above disadvantage, it is possible to provide an access passage of larger dimensions, through which any control box of standardised dimensions freely could be entered into the cab without difficulty. It will be appreciated however that, with such an arrangement and due to the fact that the passage should remain open during the operation of the machine as a result of the control cable passing therethrough, the large, uncovered opening in the cab would be detrimental to the sound proofing thereof and further adversely would affect the air conditioning within the cab. Moreover, the ingress of dirt and dust, or eventually chemicals, would be permitted; all the foregoing being unacceptable. To remedy some of the above disadvantages, FR-A-2.695.899 proposes a window arrangement in which a corner piece of a pivotable window panel is hingeably attached to said panel to accommodate the passage of a control cable. It will be appreciated however that such an arrangement is rather expensive to manufacture and requires additional means to lock the corner piece in the closed position. It is therefore the objective of the present invention to overcome the shortcomings and drawbacks of heretofore employed passages for entering remote control cables into a tractor cab. More specifically, it is the objective to provide a passage in an inexpensive way allowing control boxes to be installed into the cab without precedingly being disconnected from the control cables and nonetheless without significantly or adversely affecting the sealing capacities of the cab. According to a first aspect of the invention, a movable or static arrangement is provided comprising an operator's station surrounded by an enclosure or cab and including at least one wall having a passage therethrough defined by a mount, a removable cab panel supported on said mount to cover said passage when positioned in a closed condition in a first orientation and an aperture wherethrough a control cable for the remote operation of external equipment means may enter said enclosure or cab. The arrangement is characterized in that said aperture is a part of said passage and is defined inbetween said panel and said mount by positioning said panel in said closed condition in a second orientation. Preferably, the removable cab panel is formed by a transparent window panel having a basically rectangular shape, except for a triangular cut-out in one of its corners. In the first orientation of the cab panel, the cut-out is blanked-off whereas in the second orientation the cut-out is uncovered so as to form the aperture for accommodating the passage of the control cable through the cab wall. The invention most conveniently is applicable to an agricultural tractor carrying or towing an external implement. According to a second aspect of the invention, a method is provided for guiding a control cable for the remote operation of external equipment means through a wall of a cab enclosing an operator's station; said wall having a passage therethrough defined by a mount and a removable cab panel supported on said mount to cover said passage when positioned in a closed condition having a first orientation. The method is characterized in that it comprises the steps of : removing said removable cab panel from said mount to open said passage; introducing said control cable into the cab through said passage; changing the orientation of said removable cab panel towards a second orientation; and re-installing said cab panel into said wall in said closed condition having said second orientation to thereby define an aperture inbetween said panel and said mount. A vehicle in accordance with the present invention will now be described in greater detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which : Figure 1 is a rear view of a tractor including a cab incorporating the subject of the present invention; Figure 2 is a detailed view of a curtailed portion of the cab structure, as seen from the inside, showing a removable cab panel in a first position; Figure 3 is a view comparable to Figure 2 but showing the removable cab panel in a second position; and Figure 4 is a cross sectional view of the removable cab panel and the associated mount taken along line IV-IV in Figure 2. Referring to Figure 1, a tractor 1, illustrated from the rear, comprises a base structure or frame 2 movably supported over the ground by a pair of drivable rear wheels 4 and a pair of front steerable wheels (not shown). On top of the base structure 2, a cab 6 is provided which surrounds and encloses an operator station 8 to thereby enhance the comfort of the tractor operator as regards noise and air conditioning. The rear side of the cab 6 includes a large rear window 10, which selectively can be set in an open position, and a smaller window panel 12, which is provided in a lower portion of the cab structure close to the cab floor (not shown) and is normally held in a closed condition. A best seen in Figures 2 and 3, which are interior views of the rear lower portion of the cab structure, the window panel 12 has a mainly rectangular shape except for a triangular cut-out 14 provided at one of the corners. Referring equally to Figure 4, the window panel 12 is supported by a mount 16, defining a passage 18 in the cab structure, of which the shape is also mainly rectangular, except for a gusset 20 incorporated at a lower corner. A weather strip 22 completely encompasses the window panel 12, which, in the closed condition, is held against a sealing strip 24 by intermediary of a pair of retainer elements 26 and a pair of latches 28. From the dashed line position of the window panel 12 as shown in Figure 2, it will be appreciated that the shape of said panel 12 and the passage 18 correspond to each other whereby the panel 12 slightly extends over the edges of the passage 18. Considering that the cut-out 14 of the panel 12 is blanked off by the gusset 20 of the mount 16, the passage 18 is completely sealed when the panel 12 is mounted in the position shown in Figure 2. In Figure 3, the window panel 12 has been turned through 180° around its central, orthogonal axis, indicated at 30, whereby the cut-out 14 is now positioned in the diametrically opposite corner relative to the gusset 20. It readily will be understood that, in this position of the window panel 12, a triangular aperture 32 is created in between the panel 12 and the mount 16; the location of this aperture 32 equally being indicated in Figure 1 by means of a dashed line. When no remote control cables for external equipment or implements have to be fitted, the window panel 12 normally is installed in the position shown in Figure 2 so as to seal the passage 18 completely, as already explained. Contrary thereto however, to facilitate the provision of a control box in the cab without disconnecting the control cables therefrom, the following procedure is ensued. Starting from the condition of Figure 2, the window panel 12 first of all is removed from its mount 16, whereafter a control box with associated control cable (not shown) is entered into the cab through the passage 18. Subsequently, the panel 12 is turned over 180° around the axis 30 and is re-installed in the mount 16 in the position shown in Figure 3 whereby the control cable is allowed to occupy the space provided by the aperture 32 in the upper corner of the panel 12. If required, a suitable grommet may be provided to seal the remainder of the aperture 32 around the control cable completely. Naturally, to remove the control box from the cab, a reverse procedure is followed. It readily will be appreciated that the present invention is not restricted to the use of a transparent window panel but equally is applicable to any other removable cab panel. Such a panel may be provided in one or both of the side walls of the cab or even in the front wall thereof to allow the entrance of one or more control cables from whatever direction. The invention further is not limited to cab panels having a rectangular shape. Any other form is equally well acceptable provided that the panel has an irregularity, such as a cut-out, in an otherwise mainly regular shape which cooperates with a corresponding irregularity in the shape of an associated mount, so that, on the one hand, when the irregularity in the panel is blanked off by the irregularity in the mount, the panel completely seals the passage in the cab structure, and, on the other hand, when the irregularity in the panel is shifted away from the corresponding irregularity in the mount, an aperture is created in between the panel and the mount to allow a control cable to enter the cab.

Claims: A movable or static arrangement (1) comprising an operator's station (8) surrounded by an enclosure or cab (6) and including at least one wall having a passage (18) therethrough defined by a mount (16), a removable cab panel (12) supported on said mount (16) to cover said passage (18) when positioned in a closed condition in a first orientation and an aperture (32) wherethrough a control cable for the remote operation of external equipment means may enter said enclosure or cab (6), and characterized in that said aperture (32) is a part of said passage (18) and is defined inbetween said panel (12) and said mount (16) by positioning said panel in said closed condition in a second orientation. An arrangement according to claim 1 characterized in that said arrangement is a vehicle (1) comprising a movable base frame (2) on which the operator's cab (6) is mounted. An arrangement according to claims 1 or 2 characterized in that said arrangement is an agricultural tractor (1) and said external equipment is an implement carried by or towed behind said tractor (1). An arrangement according to claims 1 to 3 characterized in that the removable cab panel (12) has an irregularity (14) in an otherwise mainly regular shape. An arrangement according to claim 4 characterized in that the shape of the mount (16) corresponds to the shape of said panel (12). An arrangement according to claim 5 characterized in that the passage (18) has a mainly rectangular shape comprising a triangular gusset (20) at one corner thereof. An arrangement according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that the removable panel (12) has a mainly rectangular shape comprising a triangular cut-out (14). An arrangement according to claim 7 when appended to claim 6 characterized in that, in said first orientation of the panel (12), when in the closed condition, the cut-out (14) is blanked-off by the gusset (20), such that the passage (18) is completely sealed by the panel (12), and, in said second orientation of the panel (12), the cut-out (14) and gusset (20) are shifted relative to each other whereby said aperture (32) is created. An arrangement according to claim 8 characterized in that movement of the panel (12) from said first orientation to said second orientation is accomplished by turning said panel (12) through an angle of approximately 180° around a central axis (30) oriented perpendicularly to the surface of said panel (12). An arrangement according to any of the preceding claims characterized in that said removable cab panel (12) is formed by a transparent window panel having weather strip means (22) for being tightly-fitted against the mount (16). A method for guiding a control cable for the remote operation of external equipment means through a wall of a cab (6) enclosing an operator's station (8); said wall having a passage (18) therethrough defined by a mount (16) and a removable cab panel (12) supported on said mount (16) to cover said passage (18) when positioned in a closed condition having a first orientation; and characterized in that said method comprises the steps of : removing said removable cab panel (12) from said mount (16) to open said passage (18); introducing said control cable into the cab (6) through said passage (18); changing the orientation of said removable cab panel (12) towards a second orientation; and re-installing said cab panel (12) into said wall in said closed condition having said second orientation to thereby define an aperture (32) inbetween said panel (12) and said mount (16). A method according to claim 11 characterized in that the changing step includes the step of turning said cab panel (12) through an angle of approximately 180° around a central axis (30) oriented perpendicularly to the surface of said panel (12). A method according to claims 11 or 12, characterized in that the introducing step further includes the step of passing a control box connected to said control cable through the passage (18) in said cab wall. A method according to any of the claims 11 to 13 wherein said removable cab panel (12) has a basically rectangular shape comprising a cut-out (14) and characterized in that the method further includes the steps of: associating the cut-out in the cab panel (12) with a gusset (20) provided in said cab wall when said cab panel (12) is arranged in said first orientation to thereby seal the passage (18) completely; and uncovering said cut-out (14) when said cab panel (12) is arranged in said second orientation to thereby create said aperture (32) to accommodate the passage of the control cable through the cab wall. A method according to any of the claims 11 to 14 wherein the cab (6) is mounted on an agricultural tractor.

Inventors: GODDARD ROGER W, GODDARD, ROGER W.
Applicants: NEW HOLLAND UK LTD, NEW HOLLAND U.K. LIMITED
Application year: 1994
Main classification: B62D33
IPC codes: B62D33, B62D25